Penfolds Bin 389 South Australia Cabernet Shiraz 2018 750ml

Other Red Blends from South Australia, Australia

Notes from the Winemaker

A bright, crimson red color. The nose is lifted, fragrant, and immediately Penfolds. Aficionados may quickly identify and proclaim 389. Aromas like that of layers of custard and port-wine dark jelly with flaked coconut and juniper/cassis. Or old-fashioned hummingbird cake, with coconut flakes and nutty flavors. Familial youthful Bin 389 oak – subtle matchstick and a hint of vanilla powder. As they say – what is there not to like?! The palate is a balance of the sweet (Cabernet) and the savory (Shiraz). The wine possesses what has now often been referred to as a black forest cake 2018 vintage flavor profile. Darker fruits – closer to that of a black cherry liqueur than a crème de cassis component of Kir. Oak and tannins absorbed. Both are certainly present, yet not at all demanding their own space on this Bin 389 stage. Substantial and intense.

Blend: 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43% Shiraz

Reviews and Accolades

97 Points/James Suckling
A blend of 57% cabernet sauvignon and 43% shiraz, this has a very impressively complete feel, a hallmark of the 2018 vintage wines, and there’s a myriad of characters with cabernet’s cedary and gently herbal notes sitting atop a core of rich red-plum and dark-berry shiraz fruit aromas. So integrated. The palate has a very silky texture, so plush and polished with a wealth of rich and intense dark-plum, dark-berry and blackcurrant flavors. The oak is completely soaked with ripe, fresh fruit. This is a great Bin 389. Drink over the next two decades.

96 Points/Decanter
Confident Cabernet (57%) leads this high-spirited, swirling dance, as a breezy wisp of blue and black berries waft over the earthy bulk of sturdy Shiraz. It’s a clever trick for such bright fruit to be contained by tannins in an interlocked embrace, without smothering the obvious exuberance of this marriage. Supple and nimble, it keeps shifting and changing in the glass. A truly beautiful blend.

93 Points/Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Hints of toasted coconut accent big cassis aromas on the nose of the 2018 Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz, which is a 57-43 blend this vintage. Full-bodied, with cherry flesh complementing the sterner cassis and tobacco notes, it's supple enough to be approachable now, yet with the concentration and requisite dusty tannins on the long finish to support more than a decade of aging

90 Points/Wine Enthusiast
In typical Penfolds style, this Cab, Shiraz blend is a rich, polished wine lacquered in high-end oak. Lurking beneath the barrel-driven furniture polish, mocha and spice notes is a plush layer of berry fruit and a minty,herbal nuance. The alcohol shows some warmth on the gauzy palate while woody tannins cinch the fruit. A wine for chewing rather than sipping, this will requite a mega amount of protein and several years in cellar. Drink 2023–2035.